The Akure branch of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) has kicked against the executive arm of government awarding contracts on behalf of the judiciary in the country.
Also, legal practitioners in the Ondo State capital decried the situation in which courts of coordinate jurisdiction deliver conflicting judgments on the same matter across the country.
The Chairman of Akure branch of the association, Mr Friday Umar, who was briefing reporters on the activities to mark the 2025 Law Week, said it is an aberration for governors to award contracts for the building of courts or purchase vehicles for the use of Judges.
Umar, flanked by other members of the executive of the Akure branch of NBA said lawyers across the country would discuss the topic “Nigeria: Quest for Utilitarian Judiciary and Roles for Stakeholders.” He said former Minister of Aviation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, would give a keynote address on the title of the law week.
According to him, the ongoing conversation on judicial independence would be addressed during the law week. He said democracy thrives where there is an independent judiciary. He said there would also be a session on Electoral Justice through Legislation and the Court System, which is the judiciary.
His words, “We thought it was interesting that for democracy to move forward, there must be a judicial system that renders the services people need. Electoral justice in Nigeria is so fundamental that we have to look at various possible ways of amending our electoral laws.
“We will also examine the electoral system because it determines the legislature and the executive. If the process is defective, the products will be too. The amendment of the Electoral Act is ongoing, and our communique at the end of the Law Week will communicate our recommendations to the government and those in a position to effect changes.
“One thing I can tell you is that when we look at the electoral system, we will also look at pre-election litigations, where party primaries often create problems that go up to the Supreme Court before being resolved.
“Personally, I believe some of these issues should be streamlined to determine which matters should go to court and which should not. Political parties that act recklessly should face legal consequences.
“This is why the topic that has to do with Promoting Electoral Justice through Legislative and Judicial Systems was included, with Dr. Remi Olatubora, SAN, leading the discussion. We have the likes of Olumide Olujimi, SAN, as discussants, and our own son of the soil, Adamson Adeboro, SAN”.
Speaking of conflicting judgments of the courts of coordinate jurisdiction, Umar, the National Judicial Council (NJC) is doing a whole lot to ensure that they are nipped in the bud. Also, he said judges are working around the clock to ensure that the integrity of the judicial system is intact.
Umar said: “To answer the question why we have conflicting decisions, sometimes it depends on the perspective of the judge. But a lot of guidelines have been set up in recent times by the National Judicial Council. One, it ranges from where a matter takes place. We don’t want it heard in another place but where it has taken place.
“You see instances where some people, because they feel that a particular judge used to be their brother or acquaintance, begin to do things that we refer to as forum shopping.
“A case you are supposed to file in Lagos because it took place in Lagos, in the Federal High Court in Lagos, you decide to go to Akure or even Abuja because you feel that the person sitting there is your person and will have sympathy for you.
“Of course, those ones have been nipped in the bud, but taking it further, which is part of our focus in this Law Week, we are looking at certain issues coming up around the electoral process, either pre-election or post-election, where, without going to court, you already know what the outcome will look like. We felt that an amendment could be made towards that.”
Umar commended the Ondo State government for the ongoing construction of the new judicial complex named after the late Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu. However, he said the NBA, believes that the judiciary should embark on such projects themselves, from the angle of independence of the judiciary, without sentiment attached.
As part of the activities marking the law week, Umar said the NBA would honour the Minister of Interior, Hon. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, the state Attorney-General, Dr. Oukayode Ajulo, Minister of Youth, Hon. Olawande Ayodele. Pioneer Chairman of National Examination Council (NECO) Dr. D. I. Kekemeke and other prominent Nigerians including Mr. Sam Amuka-Pemu, Chairman of Vanguard Newspapers who would be conferred with the honour of a friend of the Bar.
